A Summer to Remember
by Kleptomaniac Can Opener
Summary: A body was the last thing they expected to find at the beach.
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Summer to Remember 1/7  
Author: Kleptomaniac Can Opener   
Beta: WhosJeebus   
Rating: NC-17   
Pairing(s): Seto x Jounouchi   
Disclaimer: Any and all things related to Yugi-Oh do not belong to me. However, everything else that has nothing to do with the original series does belong to me.

Summary: A body was the last thing they expected to find at the beach.

----

"This place is great!"

I smile at my little sister as she twirls around in the sand, a bright green bucket in one hand and a plastic yellow shovel in the other. Times like these make it hard to believe she's already fourteen, but the bikini she's wearing shows that off pretty well. I'm going to have to get her a one-piece, one with a skirt, and a large cover shirt that goes to her ankles.  
"Come on, big brother! Let's go shell hunting before dinner"  
"Sure." I brush the sand off my swimming trunks and follow her down the currently empty beach.

Our parents have been having marital problems and decided to rent the private beach house for the whole of summer, hoping the mix of privacy and intimacy might mend their marriage. Dad will have to stop being a total asswipe if he wants it to work out, in my opinion.  
At least Shizuka is happy. She loves the beach.

"Katsuya!"

I hurry to catch up, she sounds scared! I round a pile of large rocks to get a look at what has her turning pale.  
It's a guy, lying in the sand naked. Like Shizuka, I expected to find seashells, not a random teenager wearing his birthday suit.  
"Katsuya! He's not moving and his lips look blue"  
"I'll check on him, stay here."

His skin is cold to the touch, like a dead fish. Oh fuck, I'm touching a dead body! Blue eyes suddenly flash open. "AHHH!" I scream like a girl at a horror movie and fling myself backwards.  
He sits up stiffly, slowly shaking sand out of his long and tangled brown hair. He winces in pain.

"Are you okay?" Shizuka walks up to him.  
"Shizuka! Don't go near him! We don't know where he's been! He might be a pervert"  
"Nonsense, Katsuya." She kneels down and helps the guy sit up properly. "My god, you're freezing! Katsuya, we have to get him inside"  
"Are you insane?" I've managed to crawl over on my knees by this time. "Mom and dad will have hernias! And you know how dad is"  
"We can't just leave him out here! He'll die"  
I groan and think. "Okay. That cave we found this afternoon, I'll stash him there. You get your spare comforter and grab him some of my clothes"  
"Right!" She hurries off, leaving her bucket and shovel where she dropped them earlier.

"All right, you. Let's get moving." I manage to haul him to his feet. He grimaces and stumbles against me, his knees buckling under his weight. "Whoa!" I wrap my arms around his waist and try not to blush at the implications. "Guess I'll have to help ya." I shift him around and hook his elbow around my neck while keeping an arm around his skinny waist. He must be one of those people who live on coffee or something to be so thin. "C'mon, one foot at a time."

We eventually make it to the 'cave'. It's more of a hole than a cave since it's pretty dang shallow, but it'll keep the rain off him and stuff, so it should be okay. I sit him down on the sandy floor. "So, what's your name""Okay... How'd you end up there naked""You stupid or something""I'll just take that as a yes."

It feels like a long wait, though I know the house isn't that far off. But I can only talk to myself so much before I get bored.  
I look our mystery guest over. His hair is really long. It's gotta reach his butt when it's brushed out and not imitating a squirrel's nest. His skin is really pale too. A computer geek that lives on coffee, it sounds right to me. I've heard the hardcore ones do techie thingies in the buff. Maybe that's why he's flapping in the wind.

"Big brother, I got everything. I brought a canteen too in case he's thirsty"  
"Good thinking, sis"  
"How is he doing? Is he okay? Has he said anything?" She drops the blanket and clothes on the ground and hands me the canteen.  
"Well, he's not dead so I guess he's all right. But he's mute as far as I can tell." I pry the stupid cap off with a grunt and hold it up to naked boy's face. "Look, water. You thirsty?" It takes a few moments, but I think it sinks in. He reaches up and takes the canteen in both hands and downs it faster than I can say Duel Monsters! "Shit, slow down! You'll get sick"  
"I think he's in shock, big brother. Look at him." She wraps the blanket around his shoulders and tucks it in around his legs. "Do you think you can get a fire started"  
"Yeah, I still got dad's lighter. Grab some driftwood and we're in business."

I dig a fire pit while keeping an eye on our new 'friend'. He's staring towards the sea with a blank expression. Now that I look, his eyes are all cloudy and flat. It's eerie. "Guess you are in shock..." I sigh and sit next to him. "Well, don't worry. We'll take care of ya until your brain starts working again. Hope that don't take too long, we're only here for a couple months""Yeah, you're welcome."

I watch him watch nothing. He's perfectly still. No twitching or shifting. I don't think he even blinks, like those guard guys in England.  
"I have the wood!" Shizuka shuffles into the alcove, careful not to drop anything.  
"Right."

I get the fire going strong, and to our relief, the blue color in his features goes away after a while.  
"What are we gonna do, Katsuya"  
I shrug. "Keep him like a pet, I guess. Sneak him food and stuff, you know"  
"What an awful way to put it"  
"What ever way you wanna put it, sis, we're keeping him like that. Look, I'm gonna try and get him into my clothes. Head on back to the house, dinner should be about ready. We'll come back afterwards and see if he'll eat"  
"Okay." She stands and fixes the comforter around the guy. "We should give him a name"  
"You have a suggestion?" I quirk a brow at her. "Cause I'm fresh out"  
I smile as she thinks. She gets this real adorable pouty expression whenever she does deep thinking. Her eyes light up and she smiles.  
"Eros"  
"Eros? What kind of name is that?" I feel like a dork when she rolls her eyes at me.  
"Honestly, Katsuya, don't you pay attention in school? Look, he probably washed up on the beach, right"  
I nod. "Right"  
"And Aphrodite was born from the sea, right"  
"Uh, yeah. I don't see where this is going"  
She puts a hand on a hip. When did that get so curvy? Definitely buying her baggy clothes.  
"Well, we can't name him Aphrodite. So we'll call him Eros who was the God of Love, like Aphrodite was the Goddess of Love." She smiles again when I nod.  
"Makes sense to me. Now get going before mom gets worried. Tell her I'll be by in a few"  
"Alright."

"Eros, huh? I don't remember learning anything about that." I grab the jeans Shizuka brought. "Let's get you dressed, okay""Glad you agree."

It's like working with a puppet. He just lets me do whatever to him. Good thing I'm not a creep.  
The legs are a little short on him but the shirt fits well enough. They'll do for now. I wrap him back in the blanket once he's dressed. "Just stay here. We'll be back with something for you to eat and some more water." I grab the canteen and head back to the house.

Dinner is awkward. Shizuka is practically bouncing in her seat and eating almost as fast as me.

"Slow down, honey! That's not how a young lady should eat"  
"Sorry, mom. I just want to go see the beach at night"  
Mom frowns. "I don't know"  
"I'll be with her, mom. We'll be fine." I bite the inside of my cheek when she looks to dad. It's hard to predict how he'll react to things like this.  
He doesn't even look up from the paper he's reading. "Let them go, not like anyone else is around"  
I breathe out a relieved sigh and Shizuka cheers.  
"Just wear something a little warmer, you two"  
"Sure, mom," I answer. "Can we take something with us too? It'll be cool to finish dinner outside." I pat myself on the back for the brilliant idea. Now we don't have to sneak anything out.  
"I don't see why not. Just remember to bring the containers back."

Shizuka flings her arms around me once we're outside. "You're so smart, big brother"  
"Thanks." She giggles and runs ahead of me. "At least one of us is happy about this."

I curse when we get there. That jerk took the clothes off while we were gone. I can sense this guy is going to be trouble.

This is shaping up to be a beautiful summer. Really.

- - -

A week and he still hasn't said a word. But I'm pretty sure he isn't dumb like I thought. I mean, he found Shizuka's bucket and shovel and made a little fort inside the cave to keep more of the wind out, and he hasn't done his business inside. It looks like he's gone to the forest that's about a ten-minute walk away to gather berries and nuts too. He even cleaned out the fire pit. He still won't keep the clothes on though.  
And Shizuka insists on doting on him.

"He's so handsome, Katsuya! Look"  
"Yeah, I guess." Hot damn, he cleans up nice! If he weren't so freaky, this guy would be a babe magnet.  
Shizuka finishes combing out his hair that she just finished cutting and spreads the washcloth onto the sand to sun dry, smiling broadly at a job well done. She slips the scissors and the comb into a bag and comes out with a mirror. "Take a look, Eros."

He jerks away like she lit his face on fire! That's the strongest reaction we've gotten out of him yet!

"It's okay, Eros! It's just you! This is you. It's a mirror"  
"..." He tentatively reaches forward and takes the hand-mirror, examining it.  
"Haven't you ever seen a mirror, man? Why am I even asking? You're not gonna say anything." I cough and look away when Shizuka glares at me.

We watch him as he looks at himself in the mirror, touching the glass surface and his own face in turn. It reminds me of a baby discovering he has hands.  
But why are his eyes still so blank?

I look at my watch. "Damn. We better go, sis. Mom planned for us to see a movie in town, remember"  
"Okay. Bye, Eros. We'll see you tonight"  
I stuff my hands into my pockets. "Later, Eros." A shiver crawls down my spine. Is he staring 'at' me instead of through me today?  
Nah... I must be spending too much time with him.  
I'll tell Shizuka I'm not in the mood to see him tonight. One night won't matter.

- - -

"Katsuya! Wake up"  
"Huh? Wha is it?" I rub the sleep from my eyes as I sit up and shake away the momentary disorientation. "What's wrong, Shizuka"  
"I can't find Eros"  
I groan and flop back onto my pillow. "He's probably just wandering around"  
"No! I can't find him in the area AT ALL"  
"Well shit." I climb out of bed and grab my pants. "Okay, I'll look around for his stupid butt. You better get some sleep though. You look exhausted"  
"But"  
"No buts. We don't want mom and dad finding out, remember? We can't have you looking so worn out." It's only a partial lie. Her health means more to me than those two questioning why she's so tired. "I'll be back soon." I grab a light jacket and sneak out.

It's a clear night; the moon's full and glowing like a second sun. No wonder she was so worried. You can see for miles in this light, and that idiot still won't keep his clothes on half the time. He could get arrested if he wanders into the wrong place.  
Since Shizuka said he wasn't anywhere in the area, I start jogging down the beach towards the edge of town. Best to look there first just in case. At least if he went into the woods, he can't get into too much trouble.

After twenty minutes of jogging and a two-minute break to get my breath back, I finally catch sight of him. My stomach twists into a knot. This certainly was not the scenario I had in mind. Him sitting on the sand and staring mindlessly at the ocean or staring at some random drunk bum crashing under some newspapers maybe. Hell, holding a puppy even! But not standing under a rotting dock, being molested and having a thick blunt shoved into his face by some shady guys who look like wannabe-Yakuza.

"Eros!" Okay, yelling for him probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done since I don't have a weapon or anything and the odds royally suck. Four to one, perfect. Man I wish Honda was here right now. We could take them on no problem then. Shit. I've already committed myself to this. "You jerks leave him alone!" I run up to them and even manage to tug Eros away from their grubby paws. The heavy smell of pot makes my head ache.  
"What do we have here?" A scar twists one side of the man's lips into a permanent smile. It's freaky looking as hell. "You his keeper, brat"  
"Maybe he wants to play too?" This guy is just plain ugly and creepy with how he keeps licking the blade of a long knife.  
"You might be right. Whaddya say, kid? You and your friend can hang with us a while. We'll treat ya real nice"  
"Fuck off. We want nothin' to do with you." I try to move away, pulling Eros with me, but the big guy of the group grabs Eros' arm.  
"Don't be rude, you lil fuck. We're keeping this one. He ain't complainin' none"  
"He's mute!" I yank hard and find myself flying backwards. "Oof!" I fall on the sand, scraping my hand while I'm at it. Eros lands right on top of me.

The men laugh. That bastard did that on purpose! But this is our best chance to get away too.  
I push Eros up and scramble to my feet, but those guys are already coming down on us. I shove Eros behind me. "Run"  
I yelp when I'm yanked backwards. Eros stands in front of me, with back straight and face blank. "What the fuck are ya doing, asshole! Run!" I grab his shoulder, ready to send him flying down the beach if I have to.

The big man shouts. "Stop with the bullshit dramatics!" His fat heavy hand grabs Eros by his collar, but Eros doesn't even flinch. "C'mon, ya pussy! Think you can take us on?"

Eros opens his mouth, and the most beautiful sound reverberates through me, through my bones, deeper than even that... to the core of my being. The smooth, powerful baritone makes my heart tremble with an emotion that I can't name. I swear I can feel the strange song wrapping around me like the wings of an angel.

Then there's blood.

The hoodlums scream and puke; rivers of red pour from their ears, noses, and eyes. One of their heads even explodes, spraying bone, gray matter, and more red. I fall on my ass in shock just as the other three keel over dead.

The music stops.  
The silence hurts my ears.

"Ar' yu all aight?"

To say the voice startles the shit out of me is an understatement. I think I almost bite my tongue when I finally notice a hand being held in front of my face. I look up to find Eros, his blue eyes boring straight through me with an intensity that makes me blush.  
His eyes... they're clear... aware. Not flat and empty like before. "E-Eros"  
"Kaiba. My ame iz..." He shakes his head and tries again, his voice still thick with a foreign accent I can't place. "My na-me is Kaiba"  
"WHAT are you"  
"A Siren."

----

The rest of this story will not be posted on this site. To see further installments, please check out my livejournal Utensil (underscore) Drawer. A link can be found on my author page. All fics are catagorized in the Memories section.

Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: A Summer to Remember 2/7   
Author: Kleptomaniac Can Opener   
Rating: NC-17   
Pairing(s): Seto x Jounouchi   
Disclaimer: Any and all things related to Yugi-Oh do not belong to me. However, everything else that has nothing to do with the original series does belong to me. 

Summary: The last thing they expected to find at the beach was a naked body.

----

Why does he look human?  
Shouldn't someone who doesn't even blink after killing like that NOT LOOK HUMAN!  
I don't doubt things would have gotten REAL ugly if he hadn't done what he did. But that was the first time I'd seen anybody die in real life, and it wasn't exactly the prettiest sight in the world.  
I'm unsure how or what I should be feeling about this whole messed up situation.

"How come you look, well... human?" They're the first words I've managed to say since we left the scene of the crime to hide at the cave. The air between us just felt too thick to break sooner. Hell, it still feels too thick.  
"A transformation charm." His voice is cold, deep, and makes me shiver in that tingly way, though you'll never get me to admit it.  
"But why?"  
"I'm looking for someone." Blue eyes look across the ocean, his gaze distant.

Damn, the sun's rising and I still have a billion and one questions. "Look, Eros, I mean Kaiba... it's late, er, early... Whatever. We need some sleep and I gotta get back before my folks wake up." I feel my cheeks burn when he stares at me. Why does he make me feel naked when he does that? "So yeah, night!" I scramble to my feet and book it out of there.

Shizuka almost pounces me when I tiptoe into our bedroom. "Did you find him? Is everything okay?"  
"Yes and I guess."  
"What do you mean 'you guess'? What happened?"  
I'm about to answer when my jaw cracks with a huge yawn. "I'll tell you later, sis. Get back to sleep."  
"Aww, okay."  
I smile as she cuddles under her blankets, pouting. I couldn't have asked for a cuter sibling. I think only my buddy Yugi could be cuter, and he's older than me.  
I wonder how everyone back home is doing? I bet their summers aren't nearly this insane.

A few hours later Shizuka drags me out of the cabin with her. Mom's an early riser and she's not even awake yet!  
"Start talking, Katsuya! What did you mean last night?"  
"You'll see when we get there."

We find him washing off in the ocean. I guess that's okay since he's a Siren.  
"Eros!"  
Kaiba turns those intense eyes to her. "Shizuka."  
"Oh my god! You're talking! Is your memory back?"  
"It is."

I try not to watch as streamlets of water slide down his back. I swallow. "Why couldn't you talk anyway? I mean even amnesiacs can talk."  
"I had to learn the language first. With how much you babbled on it was simple."  
I scowl. "Well sorry for trying to help you out!"  
"I never said I was ungrateful."  
I...can say nothing to that. "Um, you're welcome."

Our eyes bulge as he climbs out of the water. Somehow, knowing he's fully aware now and doesn't care that he's naked makes it embarrassing to look. Shizuka twists around to face the opposite direction. She's blushing so much even her ears are red.  
"Geez, Kaiba! Put some clothes on!" I yell, trying to banish my own blush.  
"She did not seem to mind before."  
"She was too busy worrying about your health to care about your bare ass! Now put those pants on! She's underage!"  
Kaiba grabs the jeans he's been wearing and slips into them, first one leg then the other like a little kid. "What do you mean by underage?"  
"She's not old enough to see things like that!"  
"Nudeness is a perfectly natural state of being."

"As interesting as your conversation is, are you decent yet?"  
"Yeah, he's decent, sis. You can turn back around." I look back to Kaiba. Damn he looks good with his arms crossed like that. "So, Aquaman, I think we deserve an explanation."  
Kaiba tilts his head to the side. "What is Aquaman?"  
Right. Should have known that would be lost on him. "Let's just go back to the cave and talk. Oh yeah, Shizuka this is Kaiba."  
"That's such an interesting name! What kanji is used?"  
"Kanji?"  
I groan at Kaiba's non-answer. He could at least have checked up on some culture before coming to the surface. Hell, why do I even believe he's a Siren? He could be anything for I know, like a science experiment and he's on the run from the government. Or what if he's a Sea Witch like in 'The Little Mermaid'?

Screwiest summer ever. No one's going to believe my back-to-school report.

- - -

Trying to get information out of Kaiba is harder than pulling out your back teeth with dental floss. Speaking of teeth, if I grind mine much more I'm not going to have any left! Maybe I'll switch to ripping out my hair to keep things even. Maybe I'll just rip Kaiba a new one for being an asshole. I like that idea much better.

"You needn't become involved."  
"Newsflash, Kaiba, we're already involved!" I say as I cross my arms over my chest and give him a glare for good measure. "Who do you think's been takin' care of you since you washed up here all clueless?"  
"Katsuya! Be nicer!"  
I shrink a bit at Shizuka's reprimand. "Look, all I'm saying is that we deserve to know what's going on."

Kaiba stares at me long and hard. I just know my face is red like a bad sunburn, but I won't back down from a staring contest! My breath catches. I swear I can see the ocean waves in his eyes...

"My brother Mokuba was kidnapped."  
I snap out of it. "Huh? Your brother?"  
He nods. "By a sorcerer. The others have already given up searching for him, but I WILL find my brother."  
"You're shittin' us," I can't help but say. It's an automatic response.  
"I do not know what this shittin' is, but I do not jest."  
"So it's not enough there are you Siren guys, but sorcerers too?"

Whoa, if looks could kill.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"  
Blue eyes finally turn from me to look at my sister. "How can you help? You're only human."  
"And you're a fish outta water," I snap.  
Kaiba's lips curl in a snarl. "You insolent cur! I'll have your tongue for that!"  
I growl and prepare to bite that elitist head of his off. "What are you? Royalty? Get your head outta yer ass!"

"Boys!" Shizuka steps between us. "Stop acting like children, we're all adult enough to talk civilly."  
We both back down. It irks me how quickly he's able to compose himself, when not thirty seconds ago we were about to come to blows. I don't usually get into fights that fast. Why is it he gets under my skin so easily?  
"Kaiba," sis continues, "you need us BECAUSE we're human. How do you plan to find your brother in our world without knowing the culture? I mean, do you have money? And what about clothes and food? Were you planning to just walk this entire place? We can help you with all of that."  
"You are proposing to be my servants?"  
"Oh, hell NO..." I grind out. "We're your friends, you nutcase! We'll help you as your FRIENDS!"  
"Friends?"

My hearts skips. His expression is...so open and surprised right now, like a child who never had anyone remember his birthday before. Has he never had any friends? Do Sirens not make them or something?  
"That's right," speaks up Shizuka. "We're your friends, and friends help each other. We'll help you find your brother."  
"I...thank you. I will allow you to assist me."

"Now that that's settled, we've just gotta figure out how to make this work," I point out. "As long as you don't mind wearing my things, you've got clothes, and between me and sis here, we have a good bit of money. We just need to figure out how I can get away from our parents without them panicking."  
"Wait, what do you mean just you, Katsuya? I'm coming too!"  
"What? No way, sis! You'll get hurt!"  
"You'll get completely lost without me! And you can't manage money to save your life!"  
"I can too manage money! You're staying here and that's final!"  
"It is NOT final, Katsuya! You are not leaving me behind! He's my friend too and you need me to play guide and mediator!"  
I'm really starting to have trouble arguing with her. "All right, fine! But the moment you're hurt you're on a train back here!" I feel my eye twitch when she gives me a smug smirk that looks out of place on her sweet face. Oh, if only our parents knew. "Now, do you have any ideas for getting away from our folks?"  
"We'll just tell them we're joining some sort of summer camp program from town."  
For such a good girl, Shizuka can really come up with lies on the spot. "Works for me, sis. You just sit tight here, Kaiba. We'll get everything set up for our journey."

With Shizuka in the driver's seat, the folks buy the camping story (even the bit about it being totally free and having some kind of Jump Start program that she made up on the spot) hook, line, and sinker. God knows they would never have believed a word if it had come out of my mouth, even if it had been the truth. Not after how my junior high years were.  
Seriously, she could tell them that there are going to be elephants jumping over fences and that the Emperor was going to supervise the event himself, and they would believe her.  
Me? I could show them a sign-up sheet with the Emperor's seal of approval as proof and they would still doubt me.

We grab three of the hiking packs we brought in case we wanted to explore the woods, and stuff them with the necessities, including some food. We're out of the house in a little more than two hours. Not bad if I do say so myself.

No Kaiba at the cave makes Katsuya an unhappy boy. "He better not have left without us!"  
"He probably just went to the seaside, big brother. Come on."

We power walk it to the usual part of the coast Kaiba hangs out at. Power walking isn't as easy to do when you're carrying stuff, I've noticed, especially if you're carrying for two. He better not be expecting me to carry his junk the whole time, ignore the fact that it's my stuff. He's still borrowing it.  
Finally! I can see the ocean!

...Why does he insist on surprising me like this?  
I mean first I find him being manhandled by the local gang, now he's being attacked by a giant squid.  
WHY is there a giant squid! There's something fundamentally wrong about being attacked by a squid, giant or otherwise, on LAND!  
We must be insane for letting ourselves get involved with this!

"Stay outta the way, sis!" I chuck the hiking bags to the side somewhere and grab a long piece of driftwood. It's not very strong but maybe I can poke its eye out with it.

I don't know if I can even do that, though. Squid-face has crazy long reach, and every time Kaiba does his little 'Song of Death' the sound waves/vibrations/whatever-the-hell-they-are, bounce off some sort of barrier that blinks in-and-out of existence.  
Hell. Nothing ventured, nothing earned!

"Kaiba! Duck!"

----

To see what happens next, go to my livejournal Utensil Drawer. The link can be found on my author page. Everything is catagorized under memories.


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